Disco 3 (LR3) Just had my first drive in a disco 3...

I've spent about £600 on mine to get it useable, it probably needs £2k to get it sweet (not in one go!) but as @lynall says, I'm waiting to see how it goes for a bit. I'm hankering after an auto now I think. If it needs 5grand it's a scrapper lol

There is good ones out there with a wad of receipts. I was chatting to an Indy specialist a few weeks ago, he said you can't tell if they're a good un or not just by looking, you've got to run em for a bit. I disagreed in a way, you can look at overall condition and maintenance history to guide you. But then again, if its had loads of work maybe it's a lemon!

1988smithy said:

I've spent about £600 on mine to get it useable, it probably needs £2k to get it sweet but as @lynall says, I'm waiting to see how it goes for a bit. I'm hankering after an auto now I think. If it needs 5grand it's a scrapper lol

There is good ones out there with a wad of receipts. I was chatting to an Indy specialist a few weeks ago, he said you can't tell if they're a good un or not just by looking, you've got to run em for a bit. I disagreed in a way, you can look at overall condition and maintenance history to guide you. But then again, if its had loads of work maybe it's a lemon!

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ive been bitten before with large bills for necessary maintenance on cars that just seem to need everything done at once cuz all they've had is the oil and filter changed every 12 months, having served my time on the spanners its the "I just want the book stamped" type of owners that have taught me not to trust a car with more than say 75k on the clocks with receipts for only basic servicing, all cars have non service items that fail so if theres not receipts of larger stuff i walk away so the £5k is obviously someone thats also been bitten

but on flip side of that ive bought cars with inch thick folders of receipts for little odds and sods and big stuff but the car has only dont a nice 8-10k a year so when ive started putting 28-30k a year on it things start to break pritty rapidly E.G my old golf ive mentioned before to you, snapped its drive shaft , and the tech that looked at it said these never fail on golfs only on overloaded transporters being used by builders but the golf was the classic 10k a year car prior to me getting my hot sticky little hands on it.

I'd stick with the manual personally

LUKBENPHI said:

ive been bitten before with large bills for necessary maintenance on cars that just seem to need everything done at once cuz all they've had is the oil and filter changed every 12 months, having served my time on the spanners its the "I just want the book stamped" type of owners that have taught me not to trust a car with more than say 75k on the clocks with receipts for only basic servicing, all cars have non service items that fail so if theres not receipts of larger stuff i walk away so the £5k is obviously someone thats also been bitten

but on flip side of that ive bought cars with inch thick folders of receipts for little odds and sods and big stuff but the car has only dont a nice 8-10k a year so when ive started putting 28-30k a year on it things start to break pritty rapidly E.G my old golf ive mentioned before to you, snapped its drive shaft , and the tech that looked at it said these never fail on golfs only on overloaded transporters being used by builders but the golf was the classic 10k a year car prior to me getting my hot sticky little hands on it.

I'd stick with the manual personally

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It's a farkin minefield lol

Any reason for manual over auto? Less complicated and the torque converter issues steer me to a manual but ease of driving and towing for the auto

My D3 had all the usual issues when I got it but I’ve sorted them now and it’s given me my weekends back, as when running the Defender or D2 I spent every weekend fixing something.

johnlad said:

My D3 had all the usual issues when I got it but I’ve sorted them now and it’s given me my weekends back, as when running the Defender or D2 I spent every weekend fixing something.

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I to have noticed that since owning the D3, when running the defender as my daily I always had a snag list of things that needed doing, in the defenders defence it was old then and is even older now, but to keep it reliable they need constant tlc the defender is now showing its age paint etc, I also had a D2 and that was also a time eater, the previous D1s x 3 were also the same.

lynall said:

I to have noticed that since owning the D3, when running the defender as my daily I always had a snag list of things that needed doing, in the defenders defence it was old then and is even older now, but to keep it reliable they need constant tlc the defender is now showing its age paint etc, I also had a D2 and that was also a time eater, the previous D1s x 3 were also the same.

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Yeah I still have my 200tdi 90, just used for playing in now, but the 110 td5 used as a daily then disco 2 always needed something fixing.

Since we've had the D3 I've realised how much time I lost with the kids tatting about with the defender. The D2 wasn't as bad but it did take 18months to get it well sorted. It was motd last month, checked the history online and had advisories for ball joint's and arb bushes, dodged a bullet there. Prob wouldve been easier than dropping this front diff out the D3 lol

1988smithy said:

It's a farkin minefield lol

Any reason for manual over auto? Less complicated and the torque converter issues steer me to a manual but ease of driving and towing for the auto

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3 fold really, firstly I like to be more in control than an auto gives you, secondly I’ve never liked how you really have to plant your foot pulling away to get it to shift and there’s still that time lag with an auto (d3 included from my drive other day all be in less than say something 20 years old ) which can mean difference between getting out in the gap in traffic or having someone blaring their horn at you

And thirdly From a mechanics point of view point I’ve only ever changed 1 clutch in the 19 cars I’ve owned and that was cuz previous owner used to keep his foot resting on the pedal as he went along, the rest have been fine and I’ve had several diesels with duel mass flywheels and they have never given problems or any issues. Where as my brother has had several auto cars which have **** themselves including a Hyundai that blew its diff out of the casing

1988smithy said:

Since we've had the D3 I've realised how much time I lost with the kids tatting about with the defender. The D2 wasn't as bad but it did take 18months to get it well sorted. It was motd last month, checked the history online and had advisories for ball joint's and arb bushes, dodged a bullet there. Prob wouldve been easier than dropping this front diff out the D3 lol

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I had steering arms /trackrods, tracking and rear arbs done on my disco and it was less than£200 so they not that bad

4 autos and 4 manuals

Faults

1 5th dropped off end of shaft leaving car stuck on M5

2 Blew all the bearings
2 Selector mechanism failed
2 Clutch
2 Again

Ended up using fully recondition box

3 Box needed rebuild then a few years later sold with fxxked 2 and 3 syncros
3 Clutch

4 OK - but didn't do many miles
5 Selector switch
6 OK - but didn't do many miles
7 Selector switch - had over 8 years
8 cooler pipe popped

So that is two autos with high mileage and only switches.
Three manuals lunched their boxes. Car 2 was using scrapyard boxes

Most reliable manual was rebuild early 70s Rootes box
Most reliable Auto a GM 4speed RWD

most reliable auto ive ever experienced was the old ford 3/4 speed ones in the Scorpios/granada's

Anyhoo, Long story short i said to Mrs other day "im buying a land rover " (as I miss my D2 TD5 and its agricultural feel they have), her reply was something along the lines of " no darling your not" to which my replay was " i wasn't asking permission this is an FYI notification" eventually after some too'ing and fro'ing the outcome is that i'm going to buy a landy in near future, one small step for man.. one giant leap for man kind

but the current crop of TD5's look shit, high miles, scuffs scrapes no evidence of history in the adds no mention of chassis condition ( mostly dealer adds)

so my laptop mouse might of strayed into D3 territory which might not of been a good idea but there are some nice looking ones out there so now im split do i wait for a nice D2 or save some more and get a D3 + repair fund

D3, drive a load while you're saving

LUKBENPHI said:

most reliable auto ive ever experienced was the old ford 3/4 speed ones in the Scorpios/granada's

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Once drove a Granada straight after a Carlton

World of difference, so much so that I owned a Carlton a few years later.

MJI said:

Once drove a Granada straight after a Carlton

World of difference, so much so that I owned a Carlton a few years later.

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Driven both and agree carlton has the edge and so did the senator, my Dad used to deal with police at the pit if they had any thefts and one lot turned up in a new senator 24v one morning, Dad asked what they were like and copper replied "the lads are fighting over who gets in them at shift change time " so cant get much more of a glowing recommendation that that really
then Id say the frog eye'd scorpio reclaimed its edge till vauxhall brought out the final omega and that just below it out the water sadly thats last of the big rear drive saloons unless you go German

1988smithy said:

D3, drive a load while you're saving

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Thant might be the plan

some rather nice looking ones in the £6-7k bracket dont think I'd risk owt below that value

Come and have a go in mine if you wanna know what a proper **** one is like

ha that would put me off for ever!

LUKBENPHI said:

Driven both and agree carlton has the edge and so did the senator, my Dad used to deal with police at the pit if they had any thefts and one lot turned up in a new senator 24v one morning, Dad asked what they were like and copper replied "the lads are fighting over who gets in them at shift change time " so cant get much more of a glowing recommendation that that really
then Id say the frog eye'd scorpio reclaimed its edge till vauxhall brought out the final omega and that just below it out the water sadly thats last of the big rear drive saloons unless you go German

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Thus is why I went LR I wanted an off loader anyway

This

LUKBENPHI said:

Thant might be the plan

some rather nice looking ones in the £6-7k bracket dont think I'd risk owt below that value

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They are defo dropping in value, D4s now well under 10k, D2s are getting thin on the ground, cant remember last time I saw a D1 200 or 300 on the road or just in somone driveway.

As usual some people still think their D3 is worth more than a later D4! same as the last of the D2s were still being priced at 10k a year or so ago when D3 were cheaper.

MJI said:

Once drove a Granada straight after a Carlton

World of difference, so much so that I owned a Carlton a few years later.

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Many moons ago I had the pleasure of test driving the lotus Carlton , Christ almighty that was quick, well back then it was, with it floored could see the fuel gauge drop , lol

Really comfortable and a really nice motor

Do u remember the granada coupe , had like a sloped rear window